


A Fighting Chance

by Deeranger



Category: James McAvoy - Fandom, Michael Fassbender - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Anne-Marie Duff - Freeform, Bendavoy, Charles Xavier - Freeform, Cherik - Freeform, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Erik Lensherr - Freeform, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt, James Mcavoy - Freeform, Kidnapping, M/M, McBender, Michael is evil, Rape, Rating: NC17, Sex, Sexual Abuse, Slash, Torture, Violence, X-men - Freeform, force, magneto - Freeform, non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-05-18 00:56:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5891923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deeranger/pseuds/Deeranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James McAvoy was supposed to spend a romantic night with his wife, Anne-Marie, once off the X-men set. But a trip to Sainsbury's changes everything. Before he knows it he is in a world of hurt and the one to inflict this hurt is none other than his friend, Michael Fassbender, who wants a LOT more than friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sidewalk was littered with fallen leaves and pages of newspaper, although it was hard to see the ground properly in the dusk. The breeze was fresh and had a slight sting of cold air clearly indicating that autumn had begun. James shuddered a little as he closed his black woolen coat - going outside with it standing open had definitely been too optimistic. As he buttoned the coat he turned a corner when his cell phone beeped in his pocket. Taking it out he turned on the display. It was a text from Anne-Marie, which said: "Remember milk too, love". He smiled as he texted her back: "Order confirmed, ma'am". He then put the phone on silent - he always hated the attention when the phone rang in a store. They had been in the middle of the preparation for dinner, when they had realized that they had forgotten to buy some crucial elements of today's lasagna menu. Hence James was sent to Sainsbury's at seven in the evening. Luckily it wasn't that far and he liked the fresh air. Of course it was a tad annoying when they were supposed to have a night for themselves without Brendan, who was being babysitted by some family. Dusk had come and passed quickly and now the street was dark and only lit by street lamps. It was quite calm this Wednesday evening and not a single car had passed him in the last three minutes or so. James turned a corner from Elystan Street and in the distance he could see the light from the store reflecting in the windows of an apartment building. Good, old Sainsbury's at Sloane Avenue seventy-five. He smiled and went over the list of what he had to buy in his head. Tomato puré, flour and milk of course. A humming of a car engine broke the calm and James eyed a red cat sitting on a low wall by someone's garden. He was about to pass it, but he couldn't help but stop and reach out his hand just to see if the animal would allow him to pet it. The cat eagerly brushed against his hand, purring. It kind of looked like a real life version of Garfield, he thought. Suddenly the cat broke contact with his hand and fled into the garden behind some bushes - only now did James realize that the sound of the car's engine had come much closer. And fast. He let out a small sigh and turned around to walk on, but the sound of screeching tires made him spin around automatically. A black van came to an abrupt hold only about twenty feet behind him by the curb and its sliding door was opened as if someone was trying to tear the door off its hinges. Out jumped two masked men who immediately ran towards James. Realizing what this was James felt a lightning bolt of fear shoot through him and instinctively he turned around and started running. Behind him he could hear the hard thuds of boot soles hitting the ground at a fast pace and feverishly he looked over his shoulder - only to see that they had closed the gap between them. One of the men was actually reaching out his hand to get a hold of him, but James immediately took a sharp turn out into the street, trying desperately to make an escape. But the other man seemed to have anticipated this and before James knew what was happening both of his pursuers crashed into him from behind and from the side. With a shocked groan James felt himself falling and pain shot through him when he broke the fall with his bare hands, scraping them against the asphalt. Landing on his stomach James quickly started to get back up, but an arm was wrapped around his neck from behind before he managed to get to his feet. In response James crashed an elbow into what had to be the stomach of the man behind him and for a second the grip was loosened. But the other masked man grabbed a hold of the collar of his coat, yanking James violently to the side and back on to the ground. The weight of one of the men held him down almost squeezing the air completely out of his lungs. James tried to call for help, but his hoarse cry was muffled as a hand was clamped over his mouth. 

"Shut the fuck up!" the man on top of him hissed aggressively in his ear. James tried kicking and turning, but he was completely pinned down by his two attackers and his kicks and punches did little or no harm. The other man grabbed a hold of James' arms and he was roughly pulled to his feet, still with the hand covering his mouth and his arms forced behind his back. They started to drag and push James towards the van. As an attempt to stop them James lifted up his legs, making them carry his full weight. For a moment the two men wobbled a little, but quickly regained their grip on him and picked up the pace. James desperately tried to get the hand to stop covering his mouth and when he got the chance he managed to bite one of the man's fingers. A surprised yelp sounded and the hand was immediately pulled away. 

"Help!" James yelled at the top of his lungs but half of the word became a hoarse cry when the man in front of him kneed him forcefully in the stomach. James' legs gave in as if on command and he felt a sharp pain shoot through his abdomen as he collapsed. The wind had been knocked out of him completely, and before he hit the asphalt the two men picked him up by the arms. This time they managed to quickly reach the van and one of the men jumped inside and grabbed a hold of James, pulling him in. Heaving for air James tried to kick at the man still outside, but to no avail. He was violently thrown to the back of the van where he landed with a thud, hitting the back of his head on the floor. Everything turned black for a split second and he lost track of where he was and what was happening. Then his vision came back, cluttered with small white dots dancing in the air. 

"Shut the door!" he heard one of the men yell and James turned his head and saw the door closing, cutting him off from the street. Rolling on to his side James made an attempt to reach the door handle as it slid past him, but he couldn't reach it and the door slammed shut.


	2. Chapter 2

“Drive, drive!” the men yelled and James felt the engine roar somewhere under the floor. The man who had been the first inside the van moved towards him and James got up on all fours, but before he could stand up the man jumped him. James managed to punch him in the face, sending him flying backwards with a howl of pain.  
Blood soaked the black ski mask fast, but within seconds he was attacking James again and this time he grabbed a hold of his wrists, pinning them down as he straddled him on the van’s floor. James was still weak from the knee to his stomach and he couldn’t find the strength to push him off of him. The van picked up speed and the rumble of the engine seemed incredibly loud to James as the man in the blood soaked mask leaned over him. Wide-eyed James stared at him, squirming violently.

“Get the fuck off of me!” James hissed. The man raised an eyebrow as he glared at him. He then backhanded him with a loud ‘smack’, forcing James’ head to the side from the force of the blow. A soft moan escaped James and a dark trickle of blood started to flow from the corner of his mouth. The man then grabbed a strong hold of James’ collar and picked his head up, staring directly into his blue eyes:

“No. You listen and you listen good. You do what we say when we say. Understand?” the man growled, narrowing his eyes maliciously at James. Without even knowing it James was shaking his head and had grabbed a hold of the man’s wrists as he was clinching his collar. The man shook James hard.

“Understand?!” he snarled. James quivered slightly but stared right back at him without answering. His breathing was raspy and uneven.

“Oh, I think we got a cocky one here…!” the man burst out with a sudden grin. James frowned as the men started laughing and the man by the door threw something to the other, who grabbed it with one hand. James’ glance was darting around trying to find a weapon or some miraculous way to escape. The man on top of him suddenly got up a little, taking some of the weight off James - but before James could act and take advantage of it, he found himself being rolled over and forced onto his stomach. His arms were twisted painfully behind his back and he grimaced as something cold touched his wrists. A metallic 'clink’ sounded and he realized that he had just been cuffed. The man placed a knee between James’ shoulderblades, pressing him hard against the floor of the van. A muffled groan escaped James and he gave up squirming when he found that the pressure increased every time he tried. The man leaned down, brushing a strand of dark brown hair away from James’ face in an almost affectionate manner. James tried to turn his head away but he couldn’t. 

“Not so cocky now, huh?” he whispered as he grabbed a handful of James’ hair, pulling at it. James gasped and squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Fuck you,” James heard himself say under his breath. The man let go of James’ hair and let out a laugh.

“Or maybe I am mistaken?” he chuckled. But then he leaned down, pressing his upper body against James and whispering in his ear:

“You better wise up, McAvoy. Or I’ll make you… I promise you that,” he said and chills ran through James’ body. It wasn’t what he said but the way he said it. It made his stomach turn into a tight knot of nauseating fear. The man trailed a finger down James’ cheek with a grin and then let go of him. James immediately turned his face away and turned around, sitting up. He quickly found himself in the corner of the van next to the locked tail gate. Breathing rapidly his glance darted from one masked man to the other as he tested the cuffs behind his back. They were tight and the metal dug into his skin. For a little while only the sound of the engine could be heard. No one talked or even moved. James tried to listen carefully to any unusual sounds that could help him figure out where they might be going. But all he could hear was the engine. The windows were tinted completely black and the only light in the van was from a lamp in the ceiling. Closing his eyes he tried listening again…. but the only thing he could make out was the fact that the van had moved from asphalt to gravel. He could hear the slight crunching under the tires. He was pretty sure they were going east. James’ throat felt dry like sandpaper. He wanted to ask who these men were and where they were taking him, but he knew that asking wouldn’t help anything. The men were both staring at him, not moving a muscle. Uneasy James started to think of all the scenarios he could. Where was this headed? Were they going to take him into a field and put a bullet in his head? No matter what they intended he knew that he had to make a break for it as soon as the opportunity came. Carefully eyeing and mapping every detail of the van James let his glance wander hoping that it would somehow be of help. There was a small fire extinguisher next to a blue blanket tugged away behind the man closest to the sliding door. A tool box was shoved underneath it. But what was the use for any of that when his hands were cuffed? He replayed the details in his mind. The van was some what recognizable, because it had both a tailgate and a sliding door. It was an LDV G10 van and those were not the most common in London. Panicky James felt how the van turned a corner and started slowing down. Nervously he eyed the man with the bloody ski mask who was looking at him with a piercing stare as he rubbed his bruised nose behind the fabric. The van came to a hold. 

“Well, what do you know. We’re here,” the man said, narrowing his eyes at James who automatically was trying to back away further. But the walls of the van had him cornered. The men looked at each other for a moment before letting out a grin. 

“Come on, McAvoy. Don’t be difficult,” the man closest to James said as he reached out and grabbed a hold of James’ arm, pulling him closer. Trying to resist didn’t do no good - James simply slid across the floor of the van as the man pulled at him and ended up between the two men. The door slid open with a low, metallic rumble.


	3. Chapter 3

The knot of fear in his stomach was growing bigger and he narrowed his eyes as he looked out into the darkness. The smell of moss and trees hit his nostrils. Before he could think he was pulled out of the van, almost falling to his knees on the small gravel road. The men yanked him up by his collar and started to drag him with them towards a yellow light not too far away in the dark. James dug his heels into the ground. 

“Where are you taking me?!” he asked, refusing to cooperate. Small clouds of dust rose from the ground as he kept resisting. However the soft yellow light slowly came closer as the men forced him with them. With his hands still cuffed behind his back there wasn’t much he could do. 

“Shut up…” one of the men groaned as they were straining to keep him between them. In the dark in front of them a cabin seemed to appear out of nowhere, it almost looked like a part of the forest’s undergrowth. Small windows in the sides let out more yellow light, and James could hear the ruffling of dry branches brushing against the cabin’s roof. As they came closer he could see that the windows had bars on them. 

“Let go of me…!” James burst out and squirmed violently. But the men didn’t react, they just kept dragging him towards the door of the cabin. James swallowed as the paint chipped door came closer. He even thought he saw the handle move. A small staircase with three steps led up to the door, but before they reached it James was pushed to the ground. He groaned as he landed on his side, sending a cloud of dust into the air. He coughed as he inhaled the dust particles and at the same time he could hear the hinges on the door squeaking. Fear rippled through him instantly as he looked up at a silhouette standing in the door frame. 

“Well, well… How do you like the woods, James?” the silhouette said and James frowned as he lay there on the ground, trying to suppress the coughs trying to make their way out his mouth. He thought the voice sounded familiar somehow. 

“You know, personally I love the outdoors. So I had this little place built. It’s especially lovely in the summertime, but hell - I could spend all year here!” the figure said and let out a laugh. James narrowed his eyes to try and make out any features of the man in the door, but it was impossible. 

“Come see for yourself. I see you got my invitation,” the man grinned and nodded his head approvingly towards the men standing behind James. They laughed. James’ mind seemed to overflow with panicky thoughts, but no coherent ones. 

“Who are you?” James asked in a raspy voice. A sigh came from the silhouette. 

“Someone who doesn’t ask twice,” he said in a flat and suddenly chillingly cold voice. As on cue the men picked up James and steadied him, facing the beam of yellow light from the door. Squinting a little James thought he saw familiar contures of a face. The men pushed James forwards, but he dug his heels into the ground again. 

“No…” he heard himself say in a low, trembling voice.   
“James… don’t offend me,” the man said in a monotone voice which seemed to pierce through James’ body and turn it into ice. 

“Scream all you want, it doesn’t matter to me. No one will hear you out here anyway. Now come here,” the man said and James was again pushed forwards, this time more forcefully. He stumbled as he reached the door steps, but a strong hand steadied him and pulled him upwards. Frozen James found himself staring up into a face that he couldn’t make out because of the surrounding light from behind. For a few seconds all that could be heard was the brushing of branches and James’ ragged breathing. The man in front of him pulled him closer, so close that he could feel the warmth of his breath against his skin. 

“I said… come… here…!” the man hissed and James suddenly found himself being pulled through the door opening, tumbling into a world of hard, yellow light. Blinded for a moment James spun around, trying not to fall or stumble into anything that might be there. Finally his eyes adjusted to the sudden light and at the same time he heard a voice behind him:

“I’ll call you. Now go for the pick-up,” the man said, clearly directed at the two men still outside. James stared at the bright room in front of him but didn’t study it further when he heard the hinges of the door starting to squeak behind him. He spun around by the sound - just in time to see the heavy door being shut and the man sticking a key in an oldfashioned lock, turning it.


	4. Chapter 4

 

James heard the metal mechanism of the lock click firmly into place and seemingly frozen to the ground he watched as the man removed the key from the lock and placed it somewhere on his person. James couldn't see where because the man had his back to him. All he could see was that this man was about six feet tall and looked quite muscular even when wearing a turtleneck shirt. He had brown hair and he looked oddly familiar... The man turned around to face him.

"Now where were we...?" he asked with a slight smile, looking directly at James with piercing blue eyes. James automatically took a wobbly step backwards as he paled. He even thought he heard himself let out a small gasp. 

"Michael...??" he burst out in a much more trembly voice than he wanted. Completely confused James raised his eyebrows as he tried to control his breathing.

"What the hell is going on?!" he asked, his eyes almost getting a tiny bit wet from pure frustration. Michael let out a little chuckle and lifted up his hands innocently as if none of this was weird at all. He then tilted his head slightly, looking at James with a kind of challenging look in his eyes:

"And here I thought you were the smart one..." he merely chuckled and clicked his tongue as if he was thinking really hard about something. James was shaking in head in disbelief.

"What...?" James said under his breath as shook his head, trying to get strands of his dusty, dark hair out of his face. 

"Is this some sick joke?!" he then spat, looking at Michael wide-eyed and angrily. With a hard exhaling sound he looked at the ceiling as if to gather his thoughts before looking back at his collegue and friend:

"I was jumped by two lunatics, thrown into a van and fucking dragged in here against my will...! I thought they were going to kill me, for Christ's sake! What's wrong with you?!" James yelled, pacing to a fro with his hands still firmly locked behind his back. Michael had his arms crossed and was just standing there in front of the door, observing. James stopped pacing and looked at him:

"What? Are we rehearsing for some movie script I haven't heard about? Or have you gone mad?!" he hissed, clearly demanding an answer. Michael chuckled again, but this time under his breath. 

"I guess I could've just called you," Michael said and watched as James frowned at him. 

"But I thought this was more fun," he then added and his facial expression shifted from amused to some intense mix between curious and serious. James was raising his eyebrows and immediately looked at him with a shocked look in his eyes.

"Fun...? Fun?!" he just burst out as if he had run out of words. He then shook his head and walked towards Michael:

"That's it, uncuff me, let me out...!" he said, but Michael's hand was quickly placed on James' shoulder, holding him back. Stopping dead in his tracks James stared incredilously at the taller man in front of him.

"I'm sorry, but I don't intend to do that," Michael said in a deep voice. He almost sounded paternal, and a weird sensation ran through James causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. James raised his eyebrows questioningly and his lips tried to form some words, but they just turned into a couple of twitches with no sound. Michael seemed oddly relaxed as he squeezed James' shoulder and looked him up and down with an inspecting glance. 

"Michael..." James began, but a set of hands cupped his chin and Michael lifted his head up to look at him. James' cheeks were slightly flushed and his crystal blue eyes were wide in confusion and disbelief. Michael brushed his thumb against the stubble on James's jaw line and by the touch James retreated - but the taller man immediately followed and suddenly their faces were only inches from each other. Still cupping James' face, Michael looked at him again... this time with an intense and oddly demanding look in his blue eyes. James froze as he was trying to decipher this whole situation, but Michael suddenly began leaning in as if he was going to try and kiss him. James quickly pulled away by forcing his head to the side, causing Michael to lose his grip. 

"What are you doing..?!" James burst out as he backed away. Michael followed him, staring at him with a now almost predatory look in his eyes. James kept backing away as he tried to figure out what to say, but he couldn't take in what seemed to be happening. Suddenly he bumped into something behind him. He turned his head and looked. It was an old, wooden teacher's desk with drawers and a heavy, scratched table plate, pretty much standing in the middle of the room. Before turning back around James let his glance quickly wander across the room. A lightning bolt of fear exploded in his mind when he saw what it contained. By the wall there was an old metal bunk topped with a stained mattress, handcuffs dangling from the headboard... chains were hanging from the wall... each one of the small windows had bars on them and by the dusty wall was a small dresser in stainless steel shimmering in the yellow light with a bundle of rope on top of it.

"Jesus christ..." James heard himself whisper as he turned back around only to find Michael standing only inches from him.

 


	5. Chapter 5

The fact that Michael was suddenly standing this close to him made James very uncomfortable and his glance darted around to find an escape route somehow. But this time Michael firmly placed both of his hands on James' shoulders, holding him in place as he tried to move away.

"No. No, you stand still now," Michael ordered and squeezed James' shoulders to emphasize that he meant it. Short of breath James discovered that he was actually obeying. 

"Good..." Michael said and slowly loosened his grip while staring intensely at James. A nauseating feeling started to spread in James' stomach and feverishly his glance darted around the room, but he couldn't seem to find anything that would be of help. Michael had almost let go of him, but his hand now started traveling down James' chest, opening each button of the woolen coat resolutely. James blinked in confusion, but he couldn't pull back because of the table he was leaning against. Instead he was desperately trying to get out of the cuffs, even though he knew that it was impossible. 

"You know..." Michael suddenly said as he kept opening the buttons, a slight smile decorating his lips.

"I thought you knew this was coming," he just said and suddenly tore at a button that wouldn't open as easily as the others. A clicking sound came when it bounced across the floor boards. James suppressed a gasp and again he tried to wriggle one of his hands out of the cuffs - but it only caused the metal to dig deeper into his already bruised wrists. 

"The fact that you didn't know only made it more exciting," Michael continued as he could now open the coat. Almost gently he pulled its sides apart to examine James' white V neck T-shirt. James was looking at the door only a few feet behind Michael, but then Michael placed a broad hand on his chest. James automatically tried backing away, but the table didn't budge. 

"Easy," Michael whispered as he slid his hand down James' chest, still holding him steady with his left hand on his shoulder. James started squirming.

"Don't touch me..!" he spat, but Michael tightened his grip and with his free hand he grabbed a hold of James' throat. He applied just enough pressure to let James know that he was serious. James froze. 

"Don't tempt me," Michael whispered in James' ear and he leaned in, almost brushing his cheek against James'. The moist warmth of Michael's breath against his ear made James quiver. His knees felt uncomfortably weak and he suppressed a shocked groan. Michael then let go of James' shoulder and placed his hand on his hip, not letting go of his throat. James squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the hand slide along the leather belt in his jeans and slip up under his T-shirt. For a moment Michael's fingers seemed to curiously explore his smooth skin and follow the contours of his muscles. Then the hand moved down to his jeans. James automatically jumped a little, but immediately the grip around his throat tightened.

"No..." James heard himself say, but Michael didn't seem to notice. Instead he started to rub his fingers against the bulge in James' jeans. A chuckle escaped Michael.

"Come on, aren't you happy to see me?" he grinned and suddenly pulled James close, almost embracing him. To his horror James could feel Michael press against him and through the fabric of his trousers he could feel that he had grown hard. The nauseating feeling grew stronger and he could feel his heart beat getting even faster when Michael finally let go of his throat and cupped his chin with his hands again. Leaning in his lips suddenly crashed against James' and James let out a muffled yelp as he felt the wetness of the mouth intruding on his own. Greedily Michael was kissing him and trying to force his tongue inside his mouth while holding him firmly in place. James squirmed as he desperately tried to break the unwanted kiss, but Michael forced him to stand still. James tried to bite him, but Michael merely laughed.

"Feisty, are we?" he groaned as he pressed his lips even harder against James'. The taste of blood spread in his mouth and eagerly Michael's hand started to undo James' belt. A muffled sound escaped James as he suddenly kneed Michael hard between the legs. Immediately Michael let out a surprised roar and tumbled to the ground. Cursing incoherently he was bending over his painfully throbbing groin. Shocked James stared at him and immediately noticed that something had fallen out of his pocket as he landed on the floor - a small set of keys reflected the yellow light a couple of feet from Michael. Without thinking further James went for it. He kneeled down next to the keys, turned a bit and arched his back, trying to pick them up with his cuffed hands. He was trembling noticably and he had trouble holding on to the tiny key bundle once he found them. In front of him Michael was starting to get up on his knees. 

"You little bitch...!" he moaned aggressively and lunged out at James, but his fist was short an inch or two, barely missing James. Finally James managed to get one of the keys to go into one of the cuffs' lock. At the same time he was fighting to get to his feet to avoid being hit by Michael who was now closing the distance between them. The taste of blood still in his mouth James gasped as he forced the key to turn in the lock, making the edge of the cuff almost cut into his wrist. "Click". Wide-eyed James realized that he had actually managed to open the cuff - but just as this realization hit him, so did Michael.


	6. Chapter 6

Michael's body crashed into his, and they both tumbled to the ground. Finally able to use his arms again James threw a punch at Michael but winced as he felt how the pain shot through his shoulder. The joints were sore from being cuffed for so long and this otherwise natural movement now felt awkward and painful. Ignoring it James managed to deliver a solid punch to Michael's cheek, sending him stumbling backwards. Getting up from the floor James found himself tearing at the handle on the door even though he knew it was locked. He then put his whole body weight behind him as he repeatedly crashed his shoulder into the paint chipped door, trying desperately to force it open. It didn't budge, only some small specks of dry paint drizzled onto the floor by his feet. A laugh sounded behind him and James looked at Michael, who was rubbing his bruised cheek. 

"Nice try," Michael just said and eyed James up and down as he stood there, rubbing his one free but bruised wrist. His right hand was still cuffed and at the end of a short chain the open cuff was dangling. James looked at him:

"Look, you have to let me out...!" he said, trying to reason with the taller man in front of him. James held up his hands slightly, trying to indicate that the last thing he wanted was to get in a fight. 

"Just... unlock the door, Michael," he said in a voice which sounded more insecure than what it had sounded like in his head before the words had left his lips. Staring at his captor James shook his head in frustration when Michael merely grinned.

"No," Michael then retorted in a low voice and took a step forwards. James immediately tensed up. 

"You see, I didn't plan all this just to let you walk..." he said and took another step. James held up his fists automatically. 

"Stop!" he said, but Michael ignored it and took another step, now forcing James to back away from the door. But he quickly found himself in a corner, unable to go anywhere. 

"In fact I planned all this to make you stay," Michael smiled as he came even closer. The silence in the room was deafening and all James could hear was his own raspy breathing as he readied his fists for a fight. Michael tilted his head like a curious canine would do and glared at James:

"Do you really think you stand a chance?" he asked bluntly. James didn't answer, but an insecurity in his glance made Michael smile.

"Didn't think so," he just said as he closed the gap between them with one long stride. James immediately threw a punch at him. He knew that his physique was inferior to Michael's, but he had to defend himself. Whatever the cost. James had aimed at Michael's eyebrow, but just before impact Michael quickly ducked, barely avoiding the blow. With a frustrated groan James threw another punch with his left, but Michael had already caught up with him and grabbed a hold of his wrist in mid-air. James grimaced as he was shoved roughly into the wall behind him and with his right hand he punched Michael in the stomach. A hoarse groan escaped Michael, but he ignored the pain from the blow and returned the favor by aggressively punching James twice in the side. James coughed as the wind was knocked out of him and his knees buckled from the second punch. He fell to his knees in front of Michael but within a few seconds he had regained enough strength to try and get back up. But Michael kicked him square in the abdomen, causing James to curl up with a moan on the floor. For a few seconds his vision consisted of white, dancing dots and a searing pain shot throughout his body. It felt like his lungs had collapsed.

"So how d'you think you did?" Michael asked as he bent down and grabbed a hold of James' hair, forcing his head upwards. James gasped from the pain as he was finally able to let air back into his lungs. 

"Huh?" Michael asked as he squatted next to James who now grabbed a hold of Michael's hand, trying to decrease the pulling at his hair.

"Want to know what I think, James?" Michael asked as he twisted the handful of hair, causing James to let out a shocked hiss. Michael leaned down to look at him. 

"I think you're liking it," he then said as he suddenly let go of his hair and grabbed the collar of his woolen coat. He pulled it off him with ease and James found himself falling to the floor when Michael backhanded him. He landed on his side with a thud and a half choked groan. 

"Let me tell you something..." Michael whispered as he placed his boot on his shoulder and tipped him over, turning him onto his back. James' eyes were wet from pain as Michael straddled him and grabbed both of his wrists as he tried to resist. He pinned them above his head, ignoring his efforts to knee him in the back. A small stream of blood was running down James' cheek from his split lip. With an intense look in his eyes Michael looked at him. 

"You're such a little bitch..." Michael hissed as he bent down and kissed James roughly. Moaning into his mouth from the pain of his split lip James tried to turn his head away, but to no avail. He felt like his entire body was limp from a mix of pain and fear. Finally Michael broke the kiss and just looked at him. 

"Let's see how good a bitch you are," he said in a monotone voice and got up, letting go of James. Frowning and letting out raspy sigh as he was able to breathe again James stared at him as he walked over to the coat lying on the floor. Michael picked it up and started rummaging about in the pockets. He even turned his back to James clearly indicating that he did not see him as a threat. James managed to get up on his knees, but had to pause several times when the dancing, white dots filled his vision again. 

"Do yourself a favor. Stay down," he heard Michael say in a careless tone of voice as he pulled something out of one of the coat's pockets. James quickly realized that it was his cell phone.

"I bet Anne-Marie is quite concerned by now," Michael said and smiled as he flipped open the phone. Looking at the display he let out a grin. 

"Three unread texts and two unanswered calls from your better half," he said and clicked his tongue.

"No wonder you've put it on silent," he grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

James coughed as he got up on his knees behind him. Michael turned around to look at him, still with the phone in his hand. Eyeing him up and down he smiled.

"You know, I thought you'd be like this. In fact I knew you would, so I made sure that I could effectively persuade you," Michael said in a low, rumbly voice. James looked at him confused and supported himself against the desk as he slowly got back up. His lungs were finally functioning properly again, but that didn't stop the pain from radiating throughout his body from the punches. Shaking his head, James glared at Michael:

"What are you talking about?" he asked hoarsely as he found himself longingly glaring at the phone. Michael chuckled.

"You'll know soon enough," he said and noticed how James was looking at the phone in his hand.

"Oh, you want this?" he grinned and held out the phone, but still making sure that it was out of reach. Tilting the phone back and forth teasingly Michael narrowed his eyes:

"Forget about it," he just said as he then suddenly dropped the phone. It hit the floor with a crackling sound and the back panel fell off. Before James could react, the man in front of him placed the heel of his boot on top of the phone and applied all of his weight, crushing it into bits. James could only watch as as Michael shattered his phone completely. James swallowed as he realized that his only connection to the outside world had just vanished in front of his eyes. Suddenly white light came through the small windows and James thought he could hear the rumble of a car engine. Snapping his head to the side to look at the door his heart began racing faster. Michael clicked his tongue again.

"Don't get your hopes up," he just said as he walked towards the door. The light stopped moving across the walls inside the cabin and James heard the engine being turned off outside. Michael stopped in front of the door but didn't open it as if he was waiting for something. James listened and he thought he could hear footsteps outside - he was just about to open his mouth and yell for help when someone knocked a weird rhythm on the door. Michael turned his head slightly and looked at James over his shoulder.

"As I said I need to persuade you..." he said with a smile and opened the door. At first James couldn't see anyone, but within a few seconds a familiar contour appeared in the doorway. It was one of the men who had jumped him on the street, the one in the bloody ski mask. Feeling his stomach automatically turning in disgust James glared at Michael:

"Persuade me to do what...?!" he burst out in an angry, yet panicky voice. Michael merely smiled as he nodded a greeting towards the man, who seemed to be pulling at something still outside the door. James was readying himself to make a run for it, but just in the same second he heard a sound that instantly made him freeze. Wide-eyed James stared incredilously as the masked man pulled at some lilac clothing, apparently forcing someone into the cabin. It couldn't be...?

"No...!" he heard himself burst out under his breath and he took a step forward. But Michael held out his hand at him, silently ordering him not to move. Now the masked man pulled the person behind him into view. James' heart sank.

"Persuade you to do everything I want," Michael said as he grabbed a hold of the lilac coat and pulled Anne-Marie close to him. James felt his heart skip some beats as he gained eye contact with her, seeing the panic and the fear in her eyes. She was crying. Michael was holding her in front of him, one arm around her neck and one around her waist. Her hands were tied behind her back.

"Let her go...!!" James yelled, but he didn't move an inch. He could tell by the look in Michael's blue eyes that there would be no hesitation... The other masked man was now also inside the cabin and he closed the door behind him. James was shaking his head feverishly as he held out his arms, stating that he wouldn't resist.

"Michael, please..! Let her go, I'll do anything, just..." he started, but Michael shook his head, still with a slight smile on his face.

"Why would I let her go? I have one word for you, McAvoy. LEVERAGE," he grinned and started playing with a lock of her hair as he seemed to inhale her scent with deep concentration, burying his face in the side of her neck.

"If you hurt her I'll kill you...!" James spat desperately, his cheeks flushed with anger and fear. Michael looked at him questioningly.

"Oh, really..?" he then said as he suddenly pushed Anne-Marie to the side and into the arms of the two masked men who immediately held her in place as she tried to break free. A yelp escaped her. James automatically stepped forwards to intervene, but Michael stepped out in front of him.

"I don't think you're in a position to be making threats right now. Do you?" he snarled as the predatory look came back in his blue eyes. James was looking from Michael to Anne-Marie pleadingly. He could feel himself trembling.

"Kneel," Michael suddenly said. James looked at him inquiringly, then at Anne-Marie and then back at Michael.

"KNEEL," Michael commanded once more, clearly emphasizing by his tone of voice that he was not going to ask again. One of the masked men was chuckling lightly as he placed a hand around Anne-Marie's neck. Feeling his heart racing James slowly got down on his knees, holding his hands in the air. The one open cuff was still dangling at the end of its chain by his right hand. Michael smiled as he walked closer to James. By the door Anne-Marie was sobbing and the sound cut through James like razors.


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you want?" James asked as Michael stopped just in front of him as he sat there on his knees. He didn't answer. Instead his hands began unbuckling his belt. Wide-eyed James stared up at him but no sound could leave his lips. 

"What do you think?" Michael smirked as he unzipped his pants in front of James' face. Fear and nausea immediately shot through James like a lightning bolt when he realized what Michael wanted. Automatically he shook his head and turned his face to the side. But a strong hand grabbed a fistful of James' hair and forced him to turn his head back. A gasp escaped him. 

"Normally I don't hit women... Don't make me do it now," Michael said as he slid his free hand down into his briefs. James tried to suppress the nauseating feeling in his stomach as Michael pulled out his semi-erect cock. Looking at the floor James tried to control his ragged breathing. 

"Now suck it," Michael said and pulled at James' hair. He then twisted the handful of hair, sending a smarting pain into James' scalp. 

"And if you try to bite... Or if I feel your teeth in the slightest way - I promise you, I will kill her... slowly... while you watch. Understand?!" he hissed and twisted the handful of hair even more, making James gasp in pain. Suppressing the urge to throw up and ignoring the searing pain in his scalp James managed to nod. Somewhere he could hear Anne-Marie protesting and crying. Feeling his eyes well up James forced himself to stay still and not turn away as Michael rubbed his cock against his lips. 

"Open your mouth," Michael ordered. Hesitantly James opened his mouth and immediately Michael pressed himself inside. Almost choking James focused feverishly on not letting his teeth touch.

"That's it, open wide," Michael gasped as he instantly started to grow harder. He began slowly sliding in and out, and James felt the pull on his hair once more.

"You can do better than that!?" Michael said and pulled out, rubbing his cock against James' lips and covering his chin in saliva. James forced himself to swallow and fought the overwhelming sensation of having to throw up. He then nodded desperately and within a second Michael pressed his cock inside his mouth again. Tightening his lips slightly James tried to comply the best he could as Michael started to thrust. Gagging James coughed, but Michael pressed himself further into his mouth and almost down his throat. Feeling the tears starting to form in his eyes James tried to ignore his body's protests and focused on the sound of Anne-Marie yelling and screaming in the background. 

"Would you shut her up for God’s sake!" Michael burst out and suddenly pulled out. James heaved for air as the masked men stuffed a piece of cloth into Anne-Marie's mouth and whispered something in her ear. With tears streaming down her face she looked at James, but he turned his glance away. Once more he felt the tug on his hair and Michael's now hard cock slid back into his mouth. As Michael slid in and out he let out a moan:

"That a boy..." he groaned as he started moving faster. James could feel him grow even bigger and he could hear himself involuntarily making a choked, guttural sound. Michael's breathing was getting heavy - but suddenly he pulled himself out. Slightly flushed he looked down at James, who was staring at the floor coughing and trying to breathe evenly.

"Cuff yourself," Michael ordered. James froze, not daring to look up at his captor. Thoughts were racing back and forth in his mind with hundreds of miles per hour. The panic slowly started to spread. If James obeyed he had no chance of helping Anne-Marie, but if he didn't obey then he could easily get her killed. It was as if Michael could see what he was thinking, because he nodded at the men in the masks, and one of them pulled out a knife from his pocket. The yellow light from the ceiling reflected in the blade as he lifted up the knife towards Anne-Marie's throat. She shut her eyes as the piece of cloth in her mouth muffled her terrified scream. 

"Okay, okay...!!" James burst out as he finally dared to raise his glance to look at Anne-Marie. She had opened her eyes again and for a few seconds they were locked in eye contact, but without quite knowing why James found himself looking at the floor again. He swallowed.

"Just don't hurt her..." he pleaded as he briefly looked up at Michael. The taller man smiled.

"Behind your back, James," he said and shook his head at him when he was about to cuff his hands in front of him. James bit his lip as he put his arms behind his back and grabbed the dangling cuff with his free left hand. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, just trying to somehow miraculously find a way out of this. Not finding one, he felt his heart sink as he locked the cuff back around his wrist, trapping his hands behind his back. As if on cue Michael instantly stepped towards James and grabbed a hold of one of his arms, pulling him to his feet. He had tucked his erect cock back in his briefs, but his fly was still open and the bulge behind the black cotton was prominent. James was avoiding eye contact, still trying to suppress the nausea and the urge to throw up. 

"Let her go..." he said under his breath and forced himself to look at Michael. His glance was met by a skew smile and narrowed eyes. Michael looked like he was contemplating his next move. 

"Mmm..." Michael said throughtfully as if he was listening to an interesting business proposal. He rubbed his chin.

"No," he then said and hushed James when he tried to protest. 

"But I can offer the lady a bed to sleep in in her very own room. See, leverage doesn't work if you let it go," Michael said in a cold tone of voice as he looked at the masked men. 

"Tug her in for the night, gentlemen," he said and added:

"Not too many bruises now," he ordered and held James back as he tried to break free, putting an arm around his neck from behind. Whispering in his ear Michael held him in place while the two men escorted Anne-Marie out the door: 

"One word from me and she dies, got it?" he whispered maliciously and longingly James stared as they disappeared out the door. A clicking sound came and he realized that the door had been locked from the outside.


	9. Chapter 9

Trembling James could feel Michael's breath on his skin as he was holding him firmly in place from behind. Only seconds ago Anne-Marie and the two masked men had disappeared out the door, and already it felt like a painful eternity to James.

"Now where were we...." Michael said as he licked James' ear lobe. James twitched slightly and tilted his head to avoid the touch.

"Aww, don't be like that..." Michael almost hummed in his ear as he played with a strand of James' dark hair. 

"Where are they taking her?" James suddenly asked but he wasn't moving an inch. He had noticed the small cell phone in Michael's pocket, the top of it barely noticable. Michael chuckled and buried his face in the side of James' neck, tightening the grip on his throat slightly. James ignored him.

"Tell me...!!" he burst out as Michael's fingers started exploring his chest from behind through the fabric of his white T-shirt. But he didn't answer. With a frustrated groan James tore himself free from Michael's grip - he managed to turn around to face him just as Michael grabbed a hold of him again, his fist raised in the air. With one hand around his neck and the other hanging in the air, Michael glared at James as he pushed him backwards against the desk. 

"Go ahead! Hit me!!" James yelled, ignoring the strong fingers closing around his neck.

"Just tell me where she is...!" he said hoarsely, staring directly at Michael and not at his fist hovering threateningly in the air. This seemed to surprise him. For a moment all that could be heard in the small room was James' raspy breathing while their eyes were locked. Michael glared at James investigatively.

"Well, well... I guess chivalry isn't dead after all," Michael then smirked as he lowered his fist. 

"I have to hand it to you, McAvoy... You're tougher than I thought," he said and narrowed his eyes at James as he pulled him a little closer: 

"What I wonder is... Why aren't you asking WHY I let them take her away?" he asked and a smile started to spread on his face. James shook his head in confusion as Michael pulled him even closer, close enough for him to feel his breath on his skin. James concentrated on forming the word he knew he had to ask. His blue eyes were wide in fear as he managed to finally do so.

"Why?" he said and looked Michael in the eye, refusing to cower in front of his captor. Michael let go of James' neck and winked at him.

"Because I know you wouldn't want her to see me break you. See, I care about you, James. I do, but... What you won't give me I have to take by force. Consider this my gift to you," Michael said in an almost soft voice. James quivered slightly in frustration:

"You care...?!" he spat.

"You do this to me and my wife and you CARE?! You're out of your bloody mind...!! I... I don't know you anymore! Why are you doing this, WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!!" James yelled at the top of his lungs. If his hands weren't restrained he would have killed him right then and there. He was just about to knee him again, but he had to stop himself. He would only hurt Anne-Marie if he tried anything.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Michael hissed as he grabbed a hold of James' shoulders with both hands. A fiery intensity flared in his blue eyes as his glance wandered down his body and James felt how shivers ran down his spine. 

"Well, let me show you...!" he snarled as he suddenly forced James to turn around towards the desk by pulling him hard by the shoulders. At that moment it dawned on James what Michael really wanted. He instantly paled as he instinctively tried to resist by kicking and squirming violently. 

"No, don't!" James yelled as Michael finally overpowered him and forced him to bend over the desk, pulling roughly at the cuffs to try to control James' attempts to wrestle loose from under him. There was a tearing sound when Michael shredded James' T-shirt as he tore at it to expose his shoulder and chest. James heard himself yelling as he felt Michael's rough hand unbuckling his belt as he used his other hand to press James' torso down against the table plate. Droplets of cold sweat had formed on James' forehead and he desperately tried to get up from under Michael, who had to apply all of his body weight to keep him pinned against the desk. 

"Please, god, no...!" James pleaded as Michael undid his belt and tore at his jeans. James fought to stop Michael's hand from pulling down his jeans by pressing his hips hard against the edge of the table plate, causing Michael to let out a groan of pain as his hand was squashed. This was only followed by a laugh as Michael grabbed a hold of James' hair:

"Playing hard to get I see!" he groaned as he finally tore down James' jeans, exposing him when his briefs followed. James tensed up even more when he felt Michael press himself against him, his hardness behind the briefs rubbing against his skin from behind. James felt his eyes well up and again he tore at the cuffs, which caused the metal to dig into his skin on his bruised wrists. He pulled so hard that a little trickle of blood started to flow down his arm. 

"Please... please...!!" James choked as Michael leaned over him, pressing his body against his. Michael's breathing was heavy and a firm hand was placed on James' hip, grabbing him tight. 

"Shhh...." Michael whispered as he pulled his cock out from his briefs and rubbed it against the warm skin below him. James jumped, but his movement was more like a mere twitch due to his restraints and the weight on top of him. 

"Please, I beg you...!" James cried when he felt Michael increase the pressure against him. A searing pain immediately exploded throughout his body and a choked groan escaped him. Michael was on top of him, studying at his facial expressions as he pressed harder - James' face was forced to the side, his cheek resting against the table top and he squeezed his eyes shut and exposed his teeth as he grimaced in pain. His lips were forming the word 'please', but no sound came out. 

"Oh god," Michael groaned as James' body finally gave in and he slid inside him. A hoarse cry escaped James as the excruciating pain rippled through him like tidal waves, washing away every thought and every feeling except the ones right here and right now. His mouth opened in a silent scream as Michael started thrusting. 

"Oh yes, oh, you're so tight, McAvoy...!" Michael moaned as he thrusted harder. His fingers tightened their grip on James' hip and the other lifted his head slightly from the table top by his hair. James involuntarily let out a small whimper every time Michael forced himself inside him and he could feel his body starting to go limp. Squeezing his eyes shut James tried to imagine that he was somewhere else. Anywhere else. But he was stuck in the this present moment, the pain wouldn't let his mind escape what was happening to his body. The sound of the heavy table's legs being pushed half an inch across the floor by each thrust was raw and loud. Trembling he could feel Michael grow even harder and bigger inside of him and he felt how he had stopped resisting. His hands had even stopped trying to get out of the cuffs. He found that tears were streaming down his face and his body was lightly contracting in small, involuntary sobs. He blinked as he felt Michael's body tense up behind him. And then the white dancing dots entered his vision... This time he welcomed them. The dots danced and grew bigger and then they turned black. James drifted off into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

Pain. He felt pain. It seemed to come in slow waves, but never disappearing completely. Soreness and darkness filled his mind. Along with a diffuse sense of fear and confusion. Where was he? Drifting on what felt like a cotton cloud his mind kept slipping back and forth between complete darkness and semi-consciousness. He thought he heard something far away. Something familiar, a voice. James tried to open his eyes, but his attempt only resulted in eyelids vaguely twitching. He thought he heard that voice again.

"Wake up," it said. James tried opening his eyes again and this time he succeeded, but he was instantly blinded by the surrounding light. Pain shot through his head and he closed his eyes again. He thought he head himself groan. The pain in his body was becoming more intense the more he came to and James carefully made another attempt to open his eyes a little.

"Wake up now," the voice said. James' eyes adjusted slowly to the light. Everything was blurry and he noticed that he was lying on his side. Narrowing his eyes he tried to focus on the figure standing some feet away from him. He blinked to try and clear his vision. When he automatically tried to move, he grimaced as pain shot through him and his vision finally cleared. Hearing himself let out a gasp he realized where he was. 

"There you are..!" Michael smiled as he could see James' glance becoming aware and alert. James felt like his mind exploded when his memory returned with a sickening intensity, which left him pale as a sheet. Immediately he instinctively started to move away from Michael, but he discovered that his hands were fixed above his head. Turning his head he stared at his bruised wrists, which were now cuffed to the headboard of the metal bunk by the wall.... It hadn't been a cotton cloud he was floating on - instead he was lying on the old, stained mattress he had noticed earlier. James let out a terrified sound when he realized that he was still restrained and powerless and panicky he pulled at the cuffs, desperately testing them. He didn't care that the metal hurt his already bruised and scratched skin and he found himself wishing that he was still unconscious. 

"Goodmorning, sunshine," Michael said as he stepped closer. James immediately pulled as far away from him as he could, slamming into the wall and pulling so hard on the cuffs that the small stream of blood started flowing again. He automatically kicked out at Michael, who didn't seem to be deterred. As he kicked James felt a lightning bolt of pain shoot throughout his body and he let out a yelp. Michael chuckled as he kept coming closer.

"I took the liberty to relieve the pain a little..." he said as he pointed at something on the dresser by the headboard. Scared to take his eyes off him James convinced himself to quickly glance over his shoulder. On the stainless steel dresser behind him was a syringe. James swallowed wide-eyed and looked back at Michael who was still walking towards him slowly.

"I think I broke you..." Michael grinned as he motioned to sit down on the edge of the bunk. James kicked at him the best he could, trying to ignore the pain from moving.

"Stay away from me....!" he yelled in a voice he almost couldn't recognize. Michael paused for a moment and looked down at him. An almost caring look seemed to flash in his eyes. He then proceeded and sat down, holding James' kicking legs down with his left hand. 

"No...!" James burst out as soon as he felt Michael touch him. His stomach turned and the white dots slowly started to form in his field of vision again. He wished for them to stay, but they faded as quickly as they came.

"Hush..." Michael said as he reached out to wipe at the tears on James' cheek. James turned his head to the side, trying with all of his might to avoid the touch. But his efforts were futile, and his kicking was surprisingly weak... Squeezing his eyes firmly shut James tried to control his breathing as he felt Michael's fingers caress his face.

"You need to rest," Michael said softly as he placed a kiss on James' cheek. A terrified whimper escaped James as soon as he felt the hot breath on his skin again. Once more his stomach turned and he was certain that he was going to throw up. But nothing happened - instead the white dots came dancing back into his vision. Trembling James watched the dots and focused on them instead of Michael's fingers sliding down his torso. The shredded T-shirt didn't provide much cover and James realized that he was freezing. 'Watch the dots' he heard himself think. A shiver went through him as Michael's hand reached his bruised hip. The hand travelled further and pulled a little at his jeans, correcting them. James realized that his jeans were down around his knees, but he stayed unresponsive as Michael spread his legs a little. He thought he heard Michael's voice say something along the lines of 'it needs air'. James ignored it along with the pain. 'Watch the dots', he thought again. They were dancing in front of him and relieved James thought he saw them grow bigger. His eyelids twitched. And he kept watching the dots as they finally turned black and filled his vision.


	11. Chapter 11

Floating in and out of consciousness James looked up at the small windows with the bars on them every time he was awake enough to do so. The light outside shifted, moved and turned on and off. This had to mean that at least a day had passed…. He didn’t know. He couldn’t tell how many times he thought he had seen the sunlight outside disappear and turn into night. Most of the times he had been semi-awake the cabin had been empty and he was grateful for that. But of course that led him to think that maybe Michael was where ever Anne-Marie was. And that thought scared him senseless. Various terrifying scenarios played over and over in his mind and he would pull at the cuffs and yell in frustration before the white dots appeared and sent him into a weird, dreamless sleep once more. Whenever Michael HAD been there when James woke up he had just sat himself down at the edge of the bunk, caressing him while talking about trivial things as if they were having a talk over a cup of coffee. He would then take the syringe from the steel dresser and fill it with something from an vial before injecting it into a vein in James’ arm. Resistance was futile and whatever Michael was injecting him with never wore off before the next dose, leaving James weak and woozy. Until now. 

James thought that the light had moved quite far towards west outside and he had woken up several times within the last couple of hours. At least that was his guess. No sign of Michael yet - the other times he had showed up two hour or so before sunset. Outside the small windows the orange light of the sunset was flickering like a bonfire, filtered through the branches of the trees. James noticed the sound of acorns hitting the roof for the first time since he got here. The scraping of branches and the ruffling of leaves was ever present. Blinking James tried to lift his head - and to his surprise he was able to. His vision was still a bit blurry, but it quickly adjusted as he shook his head and tried to focus on the door. Whatever Michael had given him, it was definitely wearing off. James closed his eyes and tried to listen as hard as he could, but he couldn’t hear anything but the wind ruffling the trees and the slight drumming of acorns hitting the roof - no car engine, no footsteps, no nothing. James opened his eyes and turned onto his back, looking up at the cuffs above his head. He knew that he couldn’t free himself without the key… and the metal heardboard was solid. Suddenly he realized that he hadn’t felt the intense, shooting pain from moving as he had earlier. No, he was just… sore. Very sore. But he could finally move without being almost paralyzed with pain at the same time. Relief washed through him, but immediately his thoughts returned to where Anne-Marie might be and if Michael was with her. He had to find a way out. And he had to find her. But how?   
Darkness was slowly falling outside and James thought he heard footsteps on the stairs outside, pulling him out of his chain of thought. A tight ball of fear immediately formed in his stomach again as he could hear the key in the door’s lock. James closed his eyes and tried to gather himself the best he could. Finally the door opened and Michael stepped inside. He was carrying a brown paper bag with him and he walked directly over the the bunk and put it on top of the dresser. James looked up when he could hear Michael rummaging about in the bag. 

“You look a lot better, James,” Michael said shortly and sent him a smile. Not answering James couldn’t stop worrying about what might be inside the bag. 

“Hell, I thought I was losing you,” Michael continued with a grin as he pulled something out of the paper bag and sat himself down on the bunk next to James. 

“Now you eat,” he said and started unwrapping the sandwich in his hand. James’ tensed up body relaxed a tiny bit when he realized that it hadn’t been a weapon of some sort. But his stomach still turned - both by the thought of food and the fact that Michael was only inches away from him. Michael leaned over and held the sandwich closer to James, nodding at him to take a bite. James swallowed and discovered how dry his mouth was and he turned his head away a little. Not only was his stomach turning but eating out of Michael’s hand was simply too degrading and way too uncomfortable. Michael let out a sigh and shook his head.

“You just have to make everything difficult, don’t you?” he said and waved the food in front of James’ face as if that would somehow make him more interested. Not getting a reaction he groaned slightly in annoyance and rested his elbows on his knees as he sat on the edge of the bunk. James was looking at the ceiling.

“Just eat the damn sandwich, James,” Michael said in an impatient tone of voice as he patted him on the shoulder. James automatically wanted to flinch by the sudden touch, but he managed to stay calm and not move an inch. He swallowed. 

“No,” James just said flatly. Michael’s eyebrows shot up and he tilted his head a bit, staring at James in surprise. 

“No?” Michael repeated in a voice which was both surprised and amused. He then leaned down further and looked directly into James’ eyes. Immediately James settled his glance resolutely on the wall by his side. Michael let out a small groan of frustration. 

“Your choice. Eat or die of starvation, I don’t care,” he said and got up from the bunk with an angry movement. He put the sandwich on the dresser next to the syringe. He then headed for the door. 

“I just want to stand up,” James said, still looking at the wall. Michael stopped in his tracks and turned around. He eyed James up and down as he was lying there on the bunk. 

“To stand up?” he asked, crossing his arms across his broad chest. James forced himself to look at his captor.

“It hurts… I need to stretch my legs,” he said and suppressed the urge to look away once more. 

“I see… And if I let you get up you will eat the sandwich, am I right?” Michael said as a small smirk spread on his lips. James fought to keep eye contact. He then nodded.

“Yes,” he said. For a moment their glances were locked and Michael looked at James with an investigative look. He then let out a small grin.

“Looks like we’ve got a deal then,” he then said almost cheerfully. Approaching the bunk he rummaged about in the upper pocket in his cargo pants, looking for the key to the cuffs. James noticed the top of the cell phone sticking up in one of the pockets on the side of his thigh. As Michael fished out the small key bundle he bent down over James, ready to stick the key in the lock. He then froze and looked at him with a stern look in his icy blue eyes:

“Don’t fuck with me, James,” he said in a low, almost growling voice. For a moment the air seemed to be electric. James swallowed and managed to compliantly utter a small “I won’t” under his breath.


	12. Chapter 12

For a moment Michael was just staring at James. Then a small smile appeared on his lips and he finally stuck the key in the lock on the right cuff. 'Click'. As he opened the cuff James couldn't help but wince a little - but at the same time the feeling of relief washed through him. Michael untangled the chain from the metal headboard and James was now able to lower his one hand... It was half asleep and a tingling sensation ran through his fingers. The feeling intensified once Michael removed the left cuff and James lowered both of his now free hands towards his face to look at the skin on his bruised wrists. It was scratched and discoloured and small coagulated blood drops formed a pattern showing where the cuffs had dug into the skin. Carefully James looked up at Michael who was standing by the side of the bunk. It was hard to look him in the eyes - every time he did the nausea and the tight ball of fear came back with a vengeance, leaving James almost paralyzed. Blinking he forced himself to look at Michael shortly:

"Thank you," he said in a hoarse voice, but he had to lower his glance. When he motioned to move his legs over the edge of the bunk Michael held out a hand, signaling him to stop.

"Easy now," he said and James immediately froze. Michael then bent down and grabbed a hold of James' upper arms and started pulling at him slowly. James suppressed the urge to let out a shocked gasp and pull away once he felt Michael touch him. 

"Let me help you with that," Michael said as he pulled James into a standing position next to him. He had to tighten his grip when James' knees almost gave in under his weight and he leaned James against his own body to stabilize him. This time a gasp escaped James - both because of the pain throbbing in his body but also because of the fact that he was so close to Michael. James fought to control his legs and tried to force himself to stand up straight. It was like his muscles were partially numb... Probably from lying down for so long. Or from whatever drugs he had been given. Or both. Either way James refused to let his body dictate his ability to move and he pulled away from Michael, determined to stand on his own. Michael let him and uttered a grin when James tumbled forwards and almost fell back onto the bunk - however he managed to grab a hold of the top of the heavy steel dresser, breaking his fall. Ignoring Michael behind him James tried to steady himself. His fingers were clenching the edges of the dresser's top and he pulled himself up a little bit. The tingling in his fingers and legs was slowly subsiding, but he felt surprisingly weak. Michael clicked his tongue mockingly somewhere behind him while he was bent over the dresser, fighting bitterly to stand up properly. Focusing and trying to gather his thoughts James looked at the dresser below him and stared directly at the syringe. It was empty. His glance then darted past the ham sandwich and settled on the brown paper bag next to it. There was another sandwich and some napkins in there... along with a bottle of Perrier mineral water. A glass bottle. 

"Having trouble, princess?" Michael asked from behind him and James heard the floor boards creak slightly when Michael started to walk towards him. James pulled himself closer to the dresser and tried testing his legs by bending his knees slightly. The tingling had almost gone. 

"You look good from this angle by the way, love," Michael said.

"If I didn't know better I'd think it was an invite," he laughed and closed the gap between them. The creaking of the floor seemed to pierce the silence when James felt a hand on his right buttock. The intense feeling of nausea and fear overwhelmed him again and his heart skipped a beat. He felt how Michael leaned in from behind. His hand slid up his hip and up along his side. Time seemed to freeze. This was his cue. With a swift movement James tightened his grip around the neck of the Perrier bottle and forced his body to spin around. For a split second he saw Michael's eyes widen in surprise as he swung the bottle at him with full force. The next thing he saw were green glass splinters and water flying through the air in slowmotion accompanied by a loud smashing sound. Then everything seemed to pick up speed and a loud yelp could be heard when Michael stumbled sideways and fell. He landed on the floor with a thud, pressing a hand against his bloody temple where the bottle had hit him. 

"Fuck...!" Michael yelled hoarsely as he squirmed on the floor, clearly unable to get back up yet. James knew that he had to act fast. He quickly got down on his knees and grabbed a hold of Michael's pants, snatching the cell phone from his thigh pocket. He almost fell over while doing so, his hands trembling so badly that he almost dropped the phone. 

"You little shit...!" Michael roared and lunged out at James, his fist barely missing his cheekbone. A small pool of blood was forming on the floor boards below Michael's head and he was starting to come to. James desperately tore at the pockets in his cargo pants, searching them one after another to find the key to the door. But they were empty. He was completely ignoring the shards of glass cutting into his knees and leaving smears of blood on the wooden floor planks. Droplets of sweat were running down his face as he feverishly ducked when Michael threw fists at him. He had to find the key or he wouldn't stand a chance. He saw something glistening by Michael's neck in the yellow light of the lamps in the ceiling. In the same moment Michael managed to grab a hold of James' already torn T-shirt and aggressively pull him down. There was a sound of fabric shredding and James uttered a groan when he was unable to avoid being pulled down to land almost on top of Michael. For a brief moment they looked each other in the eyes. Michael with pure aggression and James with fear and something which resembled spite. Michael raised a fist in the air. Again James' eye caught something glistening by Michael's collar and without thinking he reached for it. As he grabbed the silver neck chain and closed his hand around it he pulled at it. Immediately the lock snapped open and James pulled himself backwards as hard as he could. Michael didn't let go of his T-shirt, but almost followed him on his way up, grabbing a hold of him with both hands. James didn't know from where this strength had come, but he pulled back with such a force that he pulled Michael with him and his hands tore the fabric of his T-shirt to bits. When the fabric shredded Michael fell back down on the floor with two handfuls of the blood stained white clothing and James stumbled backwards and slammed into the dresser. He lifted up his hand and stared at the silver neck chain with the key dangling at the end of it. Michael groaned and was trying to get up, hissing "I'll kill you" under his breath. Disoriented he lost his balance a little and fell back down. James immediately scrambled for the door, almost tripping when Michael tried to grab a hold of his ankle as he passed him. As he reached the door he feverishly tried to stick the key in the lock, but he was so distressed that his trembling hands almost couldn't hold on to the key or even hit the key hole.

"You're dead, McAvoy...!" he heard Michael roar behind him and he could hear the floor boards creak as Michael kept trying to get up. Finally the key slid into place in the lock and James turned it eagerly. The metallic click when the door unlocked was such a relieving sound that James involuntarily uttered a small gasp. As he violently opened the door he had built up so much momentum that he fell down the three steps outside, landing with a thud on the gravel in a cloud of dust. He groaned as the pain shot through him and his body protested when he forced himself to get back up. As he steadied himself he made sure that Michael's cell phone was still in his jeans pocket. Quickly he glanced over his shoulder and he could see Michael had got up on all fours inside the cabin, groaning and trying to get to his feet. James then started to run the best he could into the darkness in front of him, only guided by a single light somewhere in the distance behind the trees. He had no idea where he was and in this total blackness all he could do was rely on his senses and follow the only other light he could see.


	13. Chapter 13

The sound of Michael's yelling grew more vague behind him as James fought his way through the undergrowth, going as fast as he could. The pain was searing in every inch of his body as he kept stumbling on roots, rocks and fallen branches while holding out both of his arms in front of him to make sure that he didn't run face first into a tree. It was almost pitch black and his eyes hadn't adjusted fully yet from the transition between the hard, yellow light in the cabin and the darkness of the woods. He knew that he had to keep moving and every time he fell down he got back up, suppressing the urge to let out a groan of pain. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself in case he wasn't alone out here. The flicker of the small light in the distance kept him going. But once a while he had to stop and regain control of his wheezing lungs and his aching body. Sweat mixed with blood dripped down his naked torso as he made his way through the forest and the little light was growing bigger in front of him between the trees. Somewhere in the darkness an owl howled and even though the autumn cold was prominent James didn't at all notice that the temperature was around freezing point - instead he felt like his blood was boiling as he fought his way towards the light. It grew in size and it was hard to determine exactly how close it was to him, so James slowed down a little and tried to move as quietly as he could. He didn't know if this was a random neighbor or if it was the hiding place of Michael's companions. Treading carefully he tried avoiding snapping twigs and small branches under his weight, but in this darkness it was impossible to see where he was putting down his feet. Suddenly he thought he heard something up ahead near the light and instantly he stopped in his tracks and listened. Voices. Male voices. Closing his eyes in the dark he tried to focus on the voices, but it wasn't possible to decipher what they were saying... But they sounded all too familiar. Chills ran down as spine as he automatically ducked down between some bushes. He caught his breath slowly and breathed evenly before he started moving in the direction of the voices and the light. Carefully he got closer. The wind had picked up, ruffling the trees and slightly howling along with the owl, disguising the slight noises he couldn't help but make when moving. He reached the last couple of trees before the forest ran out and the ditch of an uneven gravel road began. In front of him the black van was parked in front of a small cabin and the voices of his attackers could be heard from somewhere behind it. James swallowed and started carefully searching for a weapon of any sort on the forest floor. His hand came across some rocks in the darkness but not nearly big enough. The dead leaves crunched a little as he let his hand feel its way through the undergrowth and finally he found something he might be able to use. A rather thick and heavy piece of a branch. He gently pulled at it and freed it from the dry leaves and soil partly covering it. Feeling it he determined that it had to be a good three and a half feet long. It seemed solid. Weighing it in his hands James felt how his heart started racing painfully fast. The men behind the van were still talking and slowly James started making his way out into the ditch, holding the branch tight. The gravel on the dirt road crunched a little under his weight as he made his way up to the van, pausing as he leaned against its side. The men were still talking. James focused on his breathing and closed his eyes as he listened.

"It might be an odd job, but hey, it pays good," one of the voices said and the other one laughed. Then James could hear the gravel crunching on the other side of the van. They were obviously moving, but in which direction? Feeling his heart skip a beat James instinctively raised the piece of wood. Again he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sound. Only one pair of footsteps... The other man had to be standing still. James started moving towards the back of the van in the direction the sound seemed to come from. He had to because if he was spotted too soon he wouldn't standing a fighting chance. This was the only way.

"I need a beer," the voice behind the van said. There was a clicking sound and the tailgate of the van popped open. James was standing so close that if he wanted to he could easily reach his arm around the corner and grab a hold of the man. 

"Want one?" the man by the tailgate asked as he rummaged about in the van. The ruffling of plastic bags could be heard and James swallowed, clenching the branch.

"Nah, I better go watch the bitch. Maybe play a little. Too bad Gary's off duty, huh, he'd love this," the other man said and clicked his tongue. Both men laughed and James narrowed his eyes. Who was Gary? Maybe it was the driver. Then the sound of gravel crunching under a pair of boots reached James' ears. The man who had been standing still was obviously now headed back towards the cabin. A sense of panic rolled through James and small droplets of cold sweat broke out on his forehead within a split second. If one of them got inside the cabin and locked the door James would be stuck out side with no chance of...

"Kiss her from me, yeah?!" the man at the tailgate grinned as he fished out a can of beer. James sucked in a huge gulp of air - and he jolted around the corner of the van. He let out a hoarse roar as he felt himself leaping through the air holding the branch like a baseball bat. The man at the tailgate turned towards him and James saw his face without the mask for the first time. He looked like an ordinary guy, but his face was twisted in disbelief and his eyes were opened wide in shock. Time seemed to freeze as James flew through the air, his eyes locked on the man now in front of him. Somewhere in the background the other man had stopped in his tracks and was turning towards them. Then time regained its normal speed and James swung the branch with all of his might, aiming for the man's head. With a sickening, crunching sound the hard branch smashed against the man's head, hitting him in the temple, sending small pieces of tree bark flying through the air. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body immediately turned limp and he fell to the ground as a bag of potatoes. As he landed on the gravel with a heavy thud, the other man stared at the scene incredilously. Also without a mask he too looked awfully ordinary. His nose had dried blood around it, James noticed, and his stomach turned. In his right hand the man was clenching the ski mask which he had taken off when he went outside to have a smoke. For a second the man was glaring at James looking like he couldn't decide what to do. The air was electric and the man shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His glance was darting to and fro as he was standing halfway between the van and the closed cabin door. James' entire body was tensed up like a spring. The man then suddenly ran for the cabin, almost tripping over his own legs. Immediately James stormed after him, feeling all of his muscles aching from an overflow of lactic acid. His lungs smarted as he breathed in the sharp, cold air in quick, deep gulps. The man had made it to the stairs leading up to the cabin and he almost fell as he ran up the three steps. Right behind him James swung at him, but the awkward weapon missed its target and almost sent James tumbling to the side due to the weight of the branch. Regaining his balance quickly he swung again just as the man grabbed the door handle and this time the branch hit him in the side, sending him tumbling into some nettles next to the low staircase. As the door creaked slightly open he hit the ground with a groan and automatically rolled to the side and back onto the gravel road, trying to avoid being hit again. James followed him, but as he raised the branch for another swing the man managed to kick him in the chest. With a gasp James stumbled backwards and smacked into the wall of the cabin with his back first. His knees almost gave in from the impact, but he managed to keep standing. Quickly his opponent was back on his feet and he glared at James, hoarsely gasping for air. Their breath formed greyish clouds in the cold air and James supported himself against the wall. His body ached terribly and he started to feel an intense fatigue sneaking up on him. The two men's gazes were locked. 

"Anne...!?" James yelled into the air, keeping his eyes on his opponent. No one answered. He felt the little ball of fear in his stomach grow bigger by the second, but he didn't dare to turn away from the man standing in front of him. Swallowing James glared at him.

"Just... Walk away," James said under his breath. As they stared at each other James noticed that he was trembling. He couldn't determine whether it was from exhaustion or the cold. Maybe it was both. The man's glance turned dark as a mischievous look spread on his face. He leaned forwards a bit and raised his fists up slightly, starting to close in. James shook his head:

"You don't need to do this..." he started, but the man merely grinned.

"But I think I do," the man snarled as he came closer, fists now ready.


	14. Chapter 14

James threateningly raised the branch a little higher into the air. He had made sure to position himself between the man and the cabin, blocking his way. But the man with the bloody nose in front of him seemed undeterred and kept advancing slowly but surely. James knew that there was no chance of reasoning with him and he readied the branch for a swing. His opponent's dark eyes shimmered in the light from the lamp by the cabin door and suddenly the man lunged forwards much quicker than James had anticipated. James had no time to react and he only managed to swing the branch halfway when the man crashed into him, head first into James' stomach, wrapping his arms around him at the same time. The two men tumbled through the nettles by the staircase and collided with the cabin wall with a loud smack. James almost lost his grip on the branch, but he clinged on to it feverishly as the man began throwing punches. His fists hit him in the sides, almost knocking the wind out of him. James groaned in pain as he tried to block the blows with his left and free hand, but he knew that he had to distance himself from his attacker in order to even be able to hit him with the branch. Refusing to let go of his weapon in the dark, James lifted his left hand from its defensive position and punched the man in the face, trying to aim for his already bruised nose. The man let out a loud shriek as James' fist hit its target and he automatically took two steps backwards onto the gravel road. Blood was oozing from his nostrils, hitting the ground as a pitch black fluid in the dark and for a moment he froze in surprise. James couldn't afford to hesitate. There was now just enough space between them for the branch to deliever a proper blow. He had to do it now and he had to do it right. He would only have one shot at this. Immediately James lifted the branch and again he positioned it as a baseball bat on his shoulder. He focused and tried to take a correct aim, but the dark and his trembling made it difficult. The seconds seemed to tick by and his opponent was regaining his composure. James knew he had almost run out of time and tightening his grip hard around the branch he swung it full force. A whistling sound could be heard as the branch cut through the cold air and the man's eyes opened wide in shock. Quickly he tried to duck, but James had anticipated this and had aimed slightly low. The man roared in something that resembled fear. The branch then hit him right above the ear with such a force that the branch snapped into two pieces. For a split second the man's expression was a mixture of pain and terror before his body registered the blow. He then fell face first onto the gravel road, landing in the black pools of his own nosebleed. A piece of the branch landed next to his limp body while James was still clinging onto the other half. James' breathing was shallow and raspy and carefully he nudged the man with his foot. No reaction. Trembling James let out a relieved gasp as he dropped his broken weapon and supported his hands on his knees for a moment. As he swallowed he noticed that his throat was completely dry and his tongue felt like sandpaper. His lungs were smarting and finally he discovered that he was actually freezing now. Dizzy from exhaustion James stood back up and walked to the staircase. He wanted to run, but right now his body wouldn't allow it. 

"Anne...?" he tried to yell, but it was more like a hoarse cry. There was no response from inside the cabin. Walking up the stairs James was terrified thinking about what he might find in there. Various gut wrenching scenarios flew in and out of his mind and he took a deep breath as he grabbed the handle and pushed the slightly ajar door fully open. Light flooded out into the dark and he shielded his eyes with his hand. For a moment he just stood there waiting for his narrowed eyes to adjust to the bright, yellow light. Finally he could make out the room in front of him. The cabin looked very similar to the one he had been in himself... His stomach turned. On the floor by a low bunk he immediately recognized some lilac clothing. His eyes then locked on a figure lying with its back to him in a fetal position on the bunk. 

"Anne...!" he yelled in a raspy voice and ran towards her, almost tripping over his own feet. He knelt next to the bunk and looked down on his wife. Her hands were tied with a hemp rope behind her back and her blonde hair covered her face. James felt how the ball of fear in his stomach started growing again. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and thankfully discovered that she was breathing. And she was fully dressed. Carefully he rubbed her shoulder through the thin fabric of her blouse.

"Anne... Anne, honey, please wake up!" he heard himself pleading. She didn't respond. Letting out a frustrated moan James leaned over her and gently brushed the hair away from her face. A swollen bruise covered her cheekbone and he felt his stomach turn again. Dried blood had formed small smudges on her face. 

"Oh god..." he whispered and shook her slightly, trying to wake her up. She didn't react. He knew that he had to get her out of there. Quickly he started to untie the rope around her wrists. As he did so he noticed to his frustration that undoing the knots was hard because of his trembling fingers. After several attempts to undo the final knot he finally succeeded and the hemp rope dropped to the floor. James swallowed and wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead with his arm. Why couldn't he wake her up? Was she unconscious due to a blow or maybe they had drugged her too? He didn't know. He was just praying that she would be alright. Shoving his arms under her body he took a deep breath and lifted her up. Almost stumbling he turned around and headed for the door with her in his arms. She was tiny and didn't weigh much, but still carrying her made every fiber in James' body scream in protest. Feeling himself shudder in a mix of physical effort and freezing he carried Anne to the door. For a moment he leaned against the door frame to catch his breath. He then carefully took one step at a time very slowly down the low staircase, fighting to keep his balance. He was terrified that he might drop her, but with a determined movement he ignored the pain rippling through his exhausted body and stepped onto the gravel road. In front of him was the black LDV G10 van with its sliding door open, the cargo room facing him. The two men were still lying on the ground where he had left them, not moving a muscle. Wobbly on his feet James carried Anne to the van and gently placed her on the cargo room's cold floor. He then remembered a detail from his time in the van and reached for the blanket placed next to the fire extinguisher by the door. He immediately pulled out the blue blanket and tugged it over and under Anne the best he could. She was still completely unresponsive, but breathing evenly as he leaned over her. Caressing her face gently James could feel tears well up in his eyes. He shook it off and stood back up, reaching for the door handle to the driver's seat. It popped open and he stepped up on the running board, looking inside the van - and his gaze immediately found the ignition. No key. James heaved himself up into the driver's seat and feverishly rummaged about in the glove compartment as well as the behind the sun visors. Still no key. 

"God damn it," he whispered as he jumped back down onto the dusty road. His legs felt like jelly. One of the men on the ground had to have the key, he thought. James walked over to the man he had knocked out by the tail gate of the van. He nudged him with his foot. The man didn't respond and James knelt down and searched his jeans' pockets. Nothing. Frustrated James let out a small groan and got back up. He walked over to the man lying almost by the staircase to the cabin and poked him in the side with his foot. He didn't respond, he was seemingly out cold. Facing the cabin James knelt down next to him and started to examine his military trousers. They had so many pockets and James hastily rummaged about in every single pocket one by one. Shaking in the cold he cursed under his breath as he finally reached the last set of pockets by the man's hip. Something cold grazed his fingers. Quickly he grabbed it and eagerly pulled it out - it was a set of keys. One of the keys had a black top with the letters LDV printed on it. Relief washed through James as he stood back up and almost incredilously he studied the key for a moment in the dim, yellow light from the lamp on the cabin wall. His breath formed small, foggy clouds in the crystal clear air and he turned back towards the van behind him. 

"Going somewhere, love?" a voice suddenly said, abruptly piercing the silence. James jumped and spun all the way around - staring directly at Michael. His face looked white and ghost-like in the dim light, covered in pitch black splatters of blood. Standing between James and the van Michael threateningly took a step closer.

"Didn't expect this, did you, huh?" he said in a low, rumbling tone of voice. James felt like his entire body had been turned into ice. His knees wanted to give in just by the sound of Michael's voice and small, white dots had already begun to dance in the corners on his vision. Michael clicked his tongue as he he pierced him with his blue glare.

"Come here...!" he growled and took another step towards James.


	15. Chapter 15

Instinctively James' body twitched to move backwards and away from Michael, but his mind refused to let it. He was unsure if Michael had seen Anne lying in the van's cargo room behind them, but no matter what James had to distract him. Distract him and get him to move, because as of now he was blocking James from reaching the van - and Anne. Michael's stare was intense and his glance fueled with anger in the dim light as he kept advancing. James could feel his heart pounding hard enough to blur his vision slightly with each thump. 

"Michael... Please, just..." James began in a much more trembly voice than intended. Michael cocked his head.

"Please what?" Michael spat, exposing his white teeth in a snarl. James shook his head and dug his heels into the ground as they had started to retreat almost automatically backwards towards the cabin wall. 

"Leave us alone...!" James burst out, again refusing to back away. He realized that he had said "us" and cursed himself in his mind, hoping that it wouldn't draw Michael's attention to Anne somehow. By now the distance between them was shrinking fast. One corner of Michael's mouth was forming a skew grin as he looked James up and down. 

"Do you really think I'd go this far only to let you go?" he asked and smiled coldly. 

"And do you really think I won't make you pay for what you did? Mmmh?" he continued and pointed at his bloodied temple. James shook his head as he tried to control his trembling.

"You're insane. What happened to you, Michael? Why are you doing this...?" James found himself blurting out, the tone of panic in his voice unmistakable. Michael leaned his head back slightly and chuckled. He sounded almost cheerful. 

"Why...?" he grinned and took another step closer. His eyes shimmered as they reflected the yellow lamp's light. Then his expression darkened, and the predatory look in his eyes returned. 

"WHY?! I'll tell you why, you little fuck...!" he suddenly hissed as his strong hand suddenly pushed James hard in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. He almost lost his balance, and the key bundle landed in the nettles as James suddenly found himself pressed against the cold planks of the cabin with Michael's one hand around his throat and the other placed next to his head on the wall. Frozen he could feel how Michael was pressing his body against his. The foggy clouds formed by his breath hit James' face in cold, moist gusts and his stomach turned. He thought he heard himself utter a small, incoherent whimper but he wasn't sure. The small, white dots had begun dancing again in a thin vignette cornering his vision. He shuddered by Michael's touch and he could feel how every tiny hair on his naked torso was standing up as he desperately suppressed the urge to throw up. Michael leaned in so close that the tip of their noses almost touched.

"Because I'm tired of you prancing around on set like a lovesick, little puppy...! Don't you think I've seen the looks you give me, huh?" Michael whispered into James' face as he slowly began caressing the side of James' neck with his thumb. James automatically tried to turn away, but he couldn't move and instantly Michael tightened his grip. 

"Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Undressing me with your eyes, pleading me to fuck you. And then once we're alone you act like nothing is going on..." he continued as he pressed himself against James, pinning him to the wall. A small gasp escaped James as he felt the hard bulge in Michael's jeans press against him. 

"No...! No, I..." James heard himself whisper, but Michael cut him off.

"Shut up!" he snarled as he tightened his grip around James' neck a little more for emphasis. He then leaned in further, breathing heavily into James' ear. 

"You know what you are, James..?" he said in a low voice as he brought his left hand down from the wall and started to let his fingers slide down James' trembling chest. Involuntarily James let out an almost silent whimper, trying to pull away. But the wall and the tight grip around his throat wouldn't let him. 

"Huh?" Michael said as his hand found the zipper in James' jeans and slowly started to unzip him. By the touch James suddenly found strength in his fatigued body and his numb limbs seemed to wake up a little. Without even thinking about it he grabbed a hold of Michael's hand as it tried to make its way inside his jeans, pushing it away. A loud, frustrated roar immediately escaped Michael and suddenly both of his hands were around James' neck. His fingers closed around it hard as he stared at him with a furious and icy glare. James let out a hoarse sound and grabbed Michael's wrists, trying to get him to let go. But it was like Michael didn't even notice his attempt. Instead he pulled James out from the wall a little - only to slam him back into it. Stars formed in James vision for a moment by the impact and he wheezed for air. Michael leaned in again and lightened his grip just enough for James to take in a gulp of air before tightening his fingers around his neck again. His eyes sparkled viciously in the dark. 

"I'll tell you what you are...! You're a fucking cocktease!" Michael snarled and flung James onto the ground next to the cabin wall. Pebbles and gravel crunched under him as he landed on his back and he sucked in air, filling his smarting lungs to the limit. Quickly he turned to his side to get back up, but Michael straddled him and forced him onto his back again. Pinning his wrists down with one hand and placing another on his chest Michael steadied him as he squirmed. 

"Don't pretend you don't like it, princess!" Michael said under his breath and suddenly pressed his lips against James', invading his mouth with his tongue greedily. As the unmistakable taste of blood spread in his mouth James tried to bite, but Michael immediately retreated and he backhanded James across the face. The small trickle of blood started to flow as the skin in the corner of his mouth tore open again by the force of the blow and James let out a small moan. A whistling sound like the one from a boiling kettle filled James ears as he felt himself kicking and uttering incoherent whimpers as he fought. The white dots had started to dance again. He felt oddly cold. He dizzily noticed that he had stopped trembling and it almost felt like his eyes wanted to close as if he was falling asleep. 

"Oh, no you don't. I want you around for this!" he heard Michael say as a hand clapped him repeatedly on the cheek. The white dots in his vision seemed to jump and fade and James groaned lightly as Michael started to undo the button of his jeans. 

"That's more like it," Michael said as he began tearing at James' jeans, forcing them down around his hips. 

"Michael, don't..." James whispered as he felt a warm hand fondle him and pull down his briefs. Michael's breathing was heavy and fast, blowing its moistness against James' face as he eagerly tore at the jeans. He let go of James limp wrists and pulled his jeans down to his knees, aggressively trying to get James' legs to part wide enough for him to position himself. In a hazy fog James realized that his wrists were free. He wanted to defend himself and closed his hands into fists, but when he threw a punch his arms didn't move the way he wanted them to. Instead his hands just nudged Michael's shoulders only to fall down along his sides. It was like gravity had tripled. James felt so heavy. A grin sounded from Michael as his hands grabbed a hold of James' hips.

"Pitiful, my dear," he said as he leaned down over James. A hand brushed away the dark strands of hair partly covering James' face. The warmth of Michael's breath hit his skin again and James focused on the white dots dancing in his vision. His body wouldn't obey him. It was like he was paralyzed and Michael's unwanted touch only made it worse. The white dots spread as James felt a tongue lick his lips.

"Yeah, you're ready to be fucked. I can tell," Michael moaned and James felt eager fingers pressing against him, penetrating him lightly. James grimaced as pain shot through him, but it felt strangely distant. He heard himself moaning a vague 'no' as he felt the tip of Michael's erect cock brush against him. The vignette of white dots grew larger and James closed his eyes. The weight on top of him was suffocating him. 

"Look at me, James," Michael said and a hand clapped his cheek again. James opened his eyes by the sudden touch. Everything seemed a little blurry in the darkness. His mind was spinning. The white dots were on a retreat again and James thought he saw shadows moving in the dark along with bouncing specks of bright light which faded as quickly as they had come. And Michael increased the pressure against James' clenched muscle. 

"I'm gonna fuck you and you're gonna like it...!" Michael groaned and started to press harder. James whimpered and again shadows seemed to move around in the dark behind Michael. With all of his might James tried to push him away as he lifted up his hands in a last attempt to free himself. But it was like his arms were made of jelly and the body on top of him didn’t move even though he tried to push at it with all of his strength. Suddenly there was a loud sound. It sounded almost as an explosion in the silence of the forest and Michael froze. James stared up at him as he suddenly dropped to the side, falling to the ground next to him. He landed heavily on the gravel and didn't move. Dizzy James blinked to try and clear his vision and as he narrowed his eyes he was looked directly at a familiar figure.

"Anne...?" James whispered hoarsely as he stared at the blonde woman standing in front of him. It was hard to recognize her in the dark through the vignette of dancing white dots. She let out a whimper as she dropped the the fire extinguisher to the ground.


	16. Chapter 16

James' hands desperately tried to cover his violated, naked body as Anne-Marie walked a little closer, wobbly on her feet. He felt so ashamed. So utterly exposed in a way he had never even imagined. 

"James... Oh, James..." Anne-Marie burst out in a weak voice as she walked past the fire extinguisher on the ground and carefully knelt next to him. He had got up on his elbows and he couldn't help but avoid her glance, a burning sensation flaring in his cheeks. Dizzily he reached for his jeans and began pulling at them feverishly. A small gasp escaped Anne-Marie and she reached out a hand and gently placed it on his shoulder. James immediately froze. For a brief moment he looked at her and the ball of fear in his stomach should be fading, but it only grew as he saw the look of hurt on her face. He felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh my god, you're hurt bad," she whispered fearfully and he felt her hand reassuringly squeeze his shoulder lightly. He almost cowered under her touch, he didn't know why. Shaking his head James suppressed the sudden urge to be sick.

"James...?" Anne-Marie softly said as she looked at her husband. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pulled back a little, letting him zip his pants. James finally managed to close the jeans' button with hands that now were trembling again. He didn't know what it meant. He got up into a sitting position, grimacing as his body protested. For a moment he just sat there, unable to understand or take in what had just happened. 

"We have to find the key," he whispered in such a low voice that Anne-Marie almost couldn't pick up the words. Frowning she leaned towards him again, but only a little.

"James... You're hurt. Let me help you. Please," she said. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to hold him, to comfort him - but she didn't dare. James blinked at the tears that seemed to keep flowing from his eyes uncontrollably. Finally he raised his glance a little and he tried to look at her. But as soon as they gained eye contact, James broke it... He didn't want to and he hated himself.

"Honey, it's okay..." Anne-Marie said, letting him know that she understood if he didn't want to be touched. And didn't want her to look at him. It hurt her deep in her heart, but she understood. Her glance darted and found Michael's body lying motionless on the ground. She wanted to kill him. It felt like her entire being had been destroyed in the moment she had seen the look in her husband's eyes only seconds ago. A small sniffle suddenly escaped James and she looked at him cautiously. He had wrapped his arms around his legs and she could tell how he fought to get himself to look at her. After a few moments his glance lifted a little and settled somewhere close to her eyes. 

"Please don't hate me...!" he suddenly burst out and he placed a trembling hand on top of hers as he lowered his glance once more. Millions of shattered thoughts were tumbling around in his mind, and he didn't understand them even though he felt them. How could she ever love him? How could she ever want him again? 

"I love you..!" he cried. With a sob she carefully pulled him closer, and was finally able to hug him. Her tiny body was contracting in sobs as she rubbed his trembling back softly.

"I love you, James. I always will, you know that..." she cried. For a moment it seemed like he was resisting and trying to pull back - but he then buried his face in the side of her neck, warm tears flowing down her shoulder as he hugged her back. Involuntarily Anne-Marie let out a gasp of relief as she felt him shiver as he cried. Even though his tears were warm his entire body was cold and he was shaking violently. They sat there for a few moments and James fought to stop crying. He felt ashamed... used... dirty... disgusting. How could she even get herself to touch him? He sobbed and pulled back. 

"Did they... hurt you?" he asked and she shook her head to his relief.

"You didn't give them the chance," she said and sent him a thankful smile.

"We have to get out of here," he whispered and turned around, sticking his hand into the nettles by the staircase. Their sting almost felt soothing and he focused on the pain to try and forget the racing thoughts in his mind. But finally he found the keys and pulled them out. Using all of his strength he got up on his knees and Anne-Marie followed. But as he was trying to stand up his legs wouldn't work properly. They felt like jelly and he stumbled and almost fell, but his wife's warm and gentle hands caught him and steadied him. Finally he looked at her... It felt like his heart broke. She looked so sad. So hurt. So... loving. James swallowed as he squeezed her hands a little. He felt like he drowned in her eyes. 

"Thank you," he said. He felt guilty that he hadn't said it before. But her smile assured him that she understood. He swallowed and blinked away the tears that had started forming in his eyes again. Carefully they supported each other as they made their way towards the van, staggering across the gravel in the dark. James was clenching the key bundle in his right hand as they reached the open door to the driver's seat.

"Can you drive?" Anne-Marie asked and James realized that he was in too poor of a state to do so. He was feeling odd and his entire body was trembling and hurting, his lungs wheezing and his mind spinning. 

"No..." he answered as he handed the key bundle to his wife. He placed them in her palm and for the first time tonight he managed to smile a little. He was so thankful that she was alright. And he owed her his life. 

"Get in," she said softly and he nodded as he watched her step up on the running board to the van. As she turned to look at him she suddenly paled and his blood felt like it froze in his veins by the look on her face. Spinning around he followed her stare. Michael was headed straight for them. He had already made it halfway to the van and staggering towards them he let out a furious roar as he was wiping at the blood flowing from the back of his head where the fire extinguisher had hit him. 

"Hurry, get in!" Anne-Marie yelled and James felt her pulling at him. He immediately turned around to get in the van when Michael reached him, grabbing a firm hold of his shoulder. James was pulled away from Anne-Marie who was already on her way back out of the van.

"No, Anne, drive...! Drive!" James yelled as Michael placed an arm around his neck from behind. James let out a guttural, choked sound and grabbed a hold of the frame of the cargo room as Michael tried to pull him to the side. Anne-Marie hesitated, still standing on the running board. James feverishly tried to yell at her to drive, but she didn't want to leave him behind. Gathering his strength James flung his head backwards, hitting Michael hard on the nose. The blow was hard enough to get Michael to let go of him and with a yelp he stumbled backwards as blood oozed from his nostrils. James looked at Anne-Marie. 

"Drive...!" he yelled as he half-jumped, half-flung himself into the cargo room of the van. Anne-Marie immediately jumped up into the drivers seat and fumbled through the key bundle to find the right key. Outside the gravel crunched and she could hear Michael roaring something incoherent. Hyperventilating she finally found the key with the black top and stuck it in the ignition. She turned the key hard and the rumble of the engine drowned Michael's yelling as she pressed her foot down on the accelerator. The van shot forwards, almost choking the engine when she feverishly tried to change into the right gear... and it stalled in the middle of the gravel road. The engine coughed, but didn't die. In the back of the van James was trying to close the door, shutting Michael out. Michael was following the van and caught up to it just as the door was closing. His strong hand grabbed the door, preventing James from shutting it completely and with the other hand he reached for James.

"You're mine...!" Michael roared with a wild expression in his eyes and forced the door to open more. James was backing further into the cargo room, but Michael had grabbed a hold of his right ankle, pulling him towards him with an incredible amount of strength. James placed his hands flat on each side of the door frame, refusing to let Michael pull him out as he kicked at him. 

"No!" James yelled and he felt how a sudden sensation of rage washed through him. It was like it gave him a slight boost of strength and he narrowed his eyes and lifted his left foot - kicking Michael square in the face with the sole of his shoe. Michael growled in pain as he let go of James' ankle. In the same moment Anne-Marie found the right gear and the van started moving again. Michael stumbled backwards and landed on his back on the gravel as the van sped up and down the road. James gasped as he reached for the handle and shut the door with a loud 'slam'. Panicky he crept backwards and leaned against the cold wall of the cargo room and somewhere he could hear Michael screaming. The sound sent chills down his spine. James then stuck a trembling hand in his pocket and pulled out the cell phone. He had almost forgotten about it. Flipping it open he clumsily dialed the number with fingers that he couldn’t control properly. But he succeeded and his heart was racing as he finally heard it ringing. A female dispatcher took his call and James almost stumbled on the words suddenly pouring out. She tried calming him down. 

"Sir..? Sir, what's your emergency?" her kind voice said on the other end of the line. 

"He's trying to kill me and my wife, he's following us, he..." James blurted out.

"Who is trying to kill you, sir?" the voice asked calmly.

"Michael..! Michael Fassbender is..!" James nearly cried into the phone.

"Sir, calm down. I need you to tell me where you are," she said and James swallowed. Cold sweat was trickling down his face, but the dispatcher's professional yet so kind voice was starting to calm him down. So was the growing distance between the van and Michael. James noticed that the surface of the road changed from gravel to asphalt. 

"I... I don't know. In the woods. A large forest with gravel roads and two cabins not far from London... He.. He held us there, he and three men, but we're escaping in a black LDV G10 van..." James blurted out, and the woman on the other end of the line retorted in her soothing voice.

"What was the last place you recognized before the woods?" she asked and James squeezed his eyes shut as he replayed the memories in his mind. 

"I... It's.. It's not far from Sloane Avenue, maybe an hour... To the east...!" James said. 

"I am sending someone now. Are you hurt?" the dispatcher asked. James swallowed. He felt shivers rippling through him. Closing his eyes for a moment he bit his lip... He felt the sense of shame wash over him again. He opened and closed his left fist, trying to convince himself to tell the truth. He knew that he was definitely dehydrated and in need of medical attention. And he probably needed stitches... down there. He couldn't escape this. He shuddered as he saw Michael's bloody face in his mind. He realized that he had been silent for a while. He felt dizzy.

"Sir? Sir, are you and your wife hurt?" the dispatcher asked. James opened his eyes, shaking off the image of Michael's face. Instead he focused on the inside of the sliding door, studying a bolt intensely.

"Yes..." he then said shakily. The sweat dripped from the tip of his nose and landed on his knee as he sat there leaning against the wall. Time seemed to slow down and James realized that he was feeling oddly sleepy. The dispatcher stayed on the phone with him for what felt like a long time, he didn't even know how long. He was hurt. He was hurt in a way that could never heal... No doctor could fix this. He shivered. But in all of this hurt and in all of this pain he realized that he wouldn't be alone. He had Anne-Marie. She had saved his life... And she hadn't been repulsed by him when she saw him the way she did. He knew that she loved him. And he loved her. More than ever. It wouldn't be easy... but they could make it. He smiled to himself dizzily as the rumble of the engine steadily hummed below him. He thought he could hear sirens. Without even realizing it he slid onto his side in the cargo room and his eyelids closed. He just needed to rest for a moment. Just for a moment. Blinking blue lights sailed across the cargo room's wall through the toned windows and he thought the engine went silent, but he wasn't sure. As the door opened he thought he saw a lot of faces... They looked worried. He could feel hands on his body and he was being moved. He didn't care. Something was placed over his mouth and suddenly it felt like he could breathe a bit better. A soft and familiar hand found his and clenched it slightly... he clenched it back and opened his eyes a tiny bit, the tiny bit he could. Anne-Marie was looking at him with wet eyes and a concerned smile and he felt how his own lips smiled back. In the distance he could hear people talking, fragments of conversations seemed to float in the air. 

"... A mess and what a brutal...."

"... Slight hypothermia, several broken ribs and..."

"... Blood pressure dropping, we need..."

"... Poor state, he'll need psychiatric treatment once..." 

James felt a prick in his arm. He felt oddly lightheaded and his eyes were closing again. He heard what was said, but it was like he didn't care. He didn't feel pain anymore, he felt warm. Anne-Marie's slender hand in his was the only thing he focused on now. He started drifting off. Smiling behind the oxygen mask he clenched his wife's hand. And he fell asleep just as all the fragments of coversations started to blur out and turn into a slow, steady humming.

"... What about Fassbender, have we...."

"... Dogs lost track when crossing..."

\------ THE END ------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, the end, you guys. I decided to make it an open ending - just to have the opportunity to write a sequel if I ever feel like it. And because I’m a total bitch I guess. I hope you enjoyed my fic none the less. Thank you so much for reading if you’ve made it this far. I certainly enjoyed writing it. And thank you SO much for all the kudos and comments - you guys are awesome!

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language. In case of mistakes you're more than welcome to tell me. I live to learn.  
> Hope you enjoy...!


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